Metallic railway-tie.



L. C. SHARP.

METALLIG RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 190a.

- 913,985, Patented M21122, 1909.

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1' FICE.

LEE G. SHARP, OF PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA.

METALLIC RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed August 1, 1908. Serial No. 446,456.

viate some objections which exist to the patented tie, and also to obtain advantages not found in said patented tie.

The nature of my improvement will be fully understood from the description given below and from the accompanying drawing, in which latter,

Figure 1 is a plan of the invention as it appears in use. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the clamp used to secure the rails to the ties. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the tie.

The tie as shown is an integral metallic body comprising a flat plate 6, and a longitudinally extending rib 7 on the under side of the plate 6 and serving to stiffen and strengthen said plate and to support it against bending. The track rails are shown at 8, and, as will be noticed, they bear upon the ties for the full width of the plates 6, and the extent of this bearing surface is not reduced by any perforations in the plate 6, as was the case in my said patented tie. form perforations 9 in plate 6 entirely outside of the said bearing portion and secure the rails to the ties by U shaped clamps 10,

Y the ends of which are passed upward from the bottom through the perforations into position, where they may be bent over upon the flanges of the rail, as will be understood especially from Fig. 2. These clamps are separate from the tie, so that if they become broken, they can be replaced readily without disturbing the tie or the rail. At the same time, I am enabled to make them of superior metal, that is, metal not liable to break and more malleable than is the metal used in the tie. The clamps can be applied after the tie and the rail have been brought together. In practice, I do not find it necessary to bend the points of the clamp clear down upon the I now rail flanges, but prefer to leave them in an inclined position extending slightly over the flanges, as indicated in Fig. 2. This gives the rail a slight vertical freedom which is desirable.

I prefer to place between the rail and the tie a thin section of resilient material adapted to cushion the joint between them. This resilient material consists preferably of indurated fiber, and should be of the same size as the surfaces of the rail and tie which oppose each other, so that it will be confined in place by the clamps 10 and render the su port given the rail somewhat elastic. (f course, other resilient material may be substituted for indurated fiber. I also prefer to coat the tie with a coating adapted to prevent rust, etc. This coating consists of tar or asphalt with an outer covering of sand embedded in the tar or asphalt and is applied by immersing the tie in molten tar or asphalt and sprinkling it with sand immediately on witlulrawing it from the bath. In this manner, the tie is given a preservative coating 11 which will be effective for long periods of time.

I claim 1. The combination in a metal railway tie, of a flat plate section to receive the rail, a central supporting and strengthening rib for the under side of said plate, a resilient cushioning section inserted between the rail and the tie and consisting of indurated fiber, and U shaped clamps having their ends introduced through perforations in the tie, and so they may be bent down upon the rail flange, said resilient cushion being clenched and held by the clamps.

2. The combination in a metallic railway tie, of a flat plate section to receive the rail, having perforations for the attaching clamps, a central supporting section for the flat base, U shaped clamps adapted to be introduced through the perforations and to be closed upon the rail, and a resilient medium introduced under the rail, said me dium being clenched and held by means of the clamps.

LEE 0. SHARP. 

